they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence staI think I can say that every writer at some time experiences writer’s block. It’s that time when our writers’ brains seem to shut down and refuse to work. You may experience it frequently, or almost never. Still, it’s a problem every writer faces at some point. Because it causes so many problems so often, it takes some creativity to conquer it…or at least work around it.

One of the most difficult steps to take during writer’s block is also the best—sit down and write.

Free Writing
To get through writer’s block, some authors advocate free writing. Free writing is the process of putting pen (or pencil) to paper and writing anything that comes into your head. The idea is that, after some time, what you write will begin to turn into something useful. I can’t vouch for this method because I’ve never used it myself. However, it works for many writers, and it may work for you.

A related method used to clear writer’s block is to take whatever project you’re working on and start writing, writer’s block or not. After a few pages, the process should begin to flow. Your writer’s block will be broken. Of course, you’ll probably end up trashing those first few pages, but at least you’re back to writing.

Writing Prompts
Okay, I've talked about free writing and associated methods to break writer’s block. Now I’ll tell you how to use writing prompts to spark your creativity.

One of the tools I love to use is the starter sentence. The Writers’ Journal is a great resource for starter sentences. In their contest section, they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence star

most difficult steps to take during writer’s block is also the best—sit down and write.

Free Writing
To get through writer’s block, some authors advocate free writing. Free writing is the process of putting pen (or pencil) to paper and writing anything that comes into your head. The idea is that, after some time, what you write will begin to turn into something useful. I can’t vouch for this method because I’ve never used it myself. However, it works for many writers, and it may work for you.

A related method used to clear writer’s block is to take whatever project you’re working on and start writing, writer’s block or not. After a few pages, the process should begin to flow. Your writer’s block will be broken. Of course, you’ll probably end up trashing those first few pages, but at least you’re back to writing.

Writing Prompts
Okay, I've talked about free writing and associated methods to break writer’s block. Now I’ll tell you how to use writing prompts to spark your creativity.

One of the tools I love to use is the starter sentence. The Writers’ Journal is a great resource for starter sentences. In their contest section, they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence sta

can’t vouch for this method because I’ve never used it myself. However, it works for many writers, and it may work for you.

A related method used to clear writer’s block is to take whatever project you’re working on and start writing, writer’s block or not. After a few pages, the process should begin to flow. Your writer’s block will be broken. Of course, you’ll probably end up trashing those first few pages, but at least you’re back to writing.

Writing Prompts
Okay, I've talked about free writing and associated methods to break writer’s block. Now I’ll tell you how to use writing prompts to spark your creativity.

One of the tools I love to use is the starter sentence. The Writers’ Journal is a great resource for starter sentences. In their contest section, they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence sta

se first few pages, but at least you’re back to writing.

Writing Prompts
Okay, I've talked about free writing and associated methods to break writer’s block. Now I’ll tell you how to use writing prompts to spark your creativity.

One of the tools I love to use is the starter sentence. The Writers’ Journal is a great resource for starter sentences. In their contest section, they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence sta

they have a contest called “Write to Win.” One of the requirements is that you use one of their starter sentences, such as “The lemonade was…” or “It was a small box, but…” These sentences, or sentence beginnings, don’t give you a topic, but using forcing yourself to write around them can give you the push you need to get out of your writing quagmire. The exercise of completing each sentence starter in several ways will force you brain to start coming up with new ways of looking at a scene. For instance, let’s take the lemonade sentence:

"The lemonade was acrid, and bitter to the taste."

"The lemonade was cool and refreshing on the lazy Georgia afternoon."

"The lemonade was an acidic reminder of his lost childhood."

Even if you don’t enter the contest, this exercise can be invaluable for putting a fire under your writing. Once you see the possibilities for many plots from one sentence, your brain will be cooking up those plots in no time. If you don’t enter the contest, you don’t even need to keep that starter sentence when you’re done—it may no longer fit your story. Still, you owe it a debt for the part it played in getting the process started.

By the way, I’m using a fiction example here, but there’s no reason you can’t use it for nonfiction. An even tougher challenge is to take the same starter sentence and use it to begin both a fiction and nonfiction piece. Try it with the lemonade sentence, and you’ll see what I mean.

One other way to use a starter sentence is to have a friend or loved one come up with the sentence for you. The rest of the process is the same.

To finish, here’s how I used that same lemonade starter sentence to start a short story:

“The lemonade had an acidic, watered-down taste, like day-old tears on ice. Carl grimaced and set it down on the table, pushing the glass away with revulsion. He glanced at his watch. He flicked a bead of condensation off the glass and nervously wiped h